Colonel Picquart.--“He was one of the directors of an English financial
company,--a thing utterly forbidden to French officers. I called Major
Ravary’s attention to this, and he said to me: ‘Oh! in England that
matter is not attended by the same inconveniences, because in France
one may be thrown into bankruptcy, whereas in England one cannot be.’ I
did not very clearly understand.”
M. Labori.--“I do not know whether the witness will be able to reply to
the question that I shall now put. Is Colonel Picquart aware that Major
Esterhazy was the subject of favorable notes that were read to the
council of war?”
Colonel Picquart.--“I saw certain of these notes in the newspapers.
I read them even prior to the council of war, and I was greatly
astonished, because all documents relating to the _personnel_ are
essentially confidential. There is another thing that astonished
me. There has been reference here to citations. Well, I know that
General Guerrier, Major Esterhazy’s superior at Rouen, struck from
that officer’s record of services a citation that appeared there
unwarrantably. General Guerrier is ready to testify to it.”
M. Labori.--“Among Colonel Picquart’s charges against Major Esterhazy
was there one that a document belonging to the secret files applied
to Esterhazy more than to anybody else, or, rather, than to a certain
other person?”
Colonel Picquart.--“Certainly.”